Museum of Northwest Art hires Christian Waguespack as Director of Curatorial Affairs and Curator of Northwest Art
The Museum of Northwest Art is excited to announce Christian Waguespack as its new Director of Curatorial Affairs and Curator of Northwest Art, effective March 3rd. Waguespack comes to MoNA from the New Mexico Museum of Art + Vladem Contemporary in Santa Fe, where he has served as Head of Curatorial Affairs and Curator of 20th Century Art. In his new role, Waguespack will provide strategic vision and managerial leadership to MoNA’s collection, exhibition, research, and scholarship initiatives and will work alongside the museum’s leadership to catalyze meaningful community engagement with the museum and its collection of Northwest Art. Central to Waguespack’s role will be the advancement of interdisciplinary and innovative opportunities to celebrate the cultural and artistic history of the Northwest through programming that speaks to the current cultural landscape in inclusive ways.
“The Museum of Northwest Art is thrilled to welcome Waguespack to the leadership team," said Stefano Catalani, MoNA Executive Director. "Waguespack's extensive curatorial experience and deep knowledge of the canon of 20th century American art will be invaluable in supporting the Museum's mission to celebrate the diversity and significance of Northwest Art. I am particularly excited to see how he will lead our institution in growing the collection and developing important and impactful exhibitions."
"I am excited to be joining MoNA at this exciting time of growth and forward momentum for the museum,” shared Christian Waguespack. “I look forward to working with Director Stefano Catalani and the rest of the team to help shape the museum's path forward, to working with the local artistic communities of the Pacific Northwest, and engaging the fantastic collection at MoNA to tell fresh stories about the rich history and current moment of art in the region." Waguespack’s most recent exhibitions and projects at the New Mexico Museum of Art include the landmark exhibition Off Center: New Mexico Art 1970-2000, the first survey of a pivotal time for contemporary art in New Mexico; Social & Sublime: Land, Place Art and Horizons: People and Place in New Mexican Art as well as the groundbreaking exhibition Out West: Gay and Lesbian Art 1900-1960, which told the story of how the queer communities of the Southwest shaped the Art History of the region. Waguespack comes to the Museum of Northwest Art with relevant arts-management background having been involved in the planning, realization, and opening of the Vladem Contemporary, the new gallery space of the New Mexico Museum of Art dedicated to exhibit post-war and contemporary art. Waguespack received an M.A. in Museum Studies with an emphasis on Curatorial Studies and Museum Education and an M.A. in Art History with an emphasis on Modern + Contemporary Art, both from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. He holds a Bachelor’s of Arts and Fine Arts, Art History and Photography from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
MoNA’s new position of Director of Curatorial Affairs and Curator of Northwest Art is made possible by the M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust. This transformational investment in MoNA’s growth from the Murdock Charitable Trust lays the foundations for the museum to develop a comprehensive, sustainable and well-articulated vision for the future.
The Trust’s mission is to enrich the quality of life in the Pacific Northwest by providing grants to organizations that seek to strengthen the region’s educational, social, cultural, and spiritual base in creative and sustainable ways. Grants are awarded to a wide variety of organizations, including those that serve the arts, public affairs, education, scientific research, health and medicine, human services, and people with disabilities. The Trust’s staff brings a wide range of experiences in the subject areas and activities necessary for thoughtful grantmaking and the investment of Trust assets. In addition to grantmaking activities, it is common Trust practice to convene groups of people to discuss issues of mutual interest. This practice is of great assistance to the Trust in exploring ways of responding to new grantmaking opportunities consistent with its mission, promoting a sharing of ideas and networking among participants, and understanding new developments and best practices in the various sectors in which the Trust works.
About Murdock Charitable Trust M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust was created by the will of the late Melvin J. (Jack) Murdock, who was a co-founder of Tektronix, Inc. in Beaverton, Oregon, and a resident of Vancouver, Washington. Since its establishment on June 30, 1975, with a bequest of about $91 million, the Trust has focused its grantmaking efforts primarily in five states of the Pacific Northwest: Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Over the life of the Trust over $1.4 billion has been distributed through about 8,800 grants.